The Judiciary of Uganda has recorded a significant increase in its approved budget allocation for the Financial Year 2024/25, rising from UGX 392.546 billion in the previous year to UGX 442.263 billion.
This was revealed in the Judiciary’s Annual Performance Report, officially released today at the Supreme Court in Kampala by Chief Justice Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo.
According to the report, the Judiciary spent UGX 428.133 billion during the 2023/24 financial year, representing a 96.8% absorption rate.
The unutilized 3.2% was attributed to delayed staff recruitment, which left a wage budget of UGX 13.857 billion unused.
In addition, a non-wage budget of UGX 233 million remained unspent due to some pensioners failing to submit the necessary documents on time.
A further UGX 40 million from the development budget was not absorbed because of the pending submission of certificates of completion for ongoing construction works.
The report also highlighted strong growth in non-tax revenue collections.
The Judiciary remitted UGX 12.09 billion to the Consolidated Fund, reflecting a 13.27% increase from the previous financial year.
This growth was mainly attributed to increased collections from court fees and fines, which rose by 19.40%, other fees and penalties which increased by 21%, and miscellaneous revenues, which registered the highest growth at 184.86%.
In terms of bail management, the Judiciary collected UGX 6.82 billion in bail deposits during the reporting period.
Of this amount, UGX 4.99 billion was refunded to applicants.
However, the backlog of unpaid bail deposits continued to grow, with UGX 26.12 billion pending refund as of June 30, 2025, up from UGX 24.29 billion in the previous financial year.
Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo emphasized the Judiciary’s ongoing commitment to improving service delivery, financial accountability, and access to justice, while also acknowledging the need to address persistent administrative bottlenecks, particularly in staffing, documentation processes for pensioners, and timely processing of bail refunds.
By Alex Magala
23rd Sept 2025
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